Avatar: A New Era
by Noelzer
Summary: Two years after the Battle of Republic City, the world order is crumbling. It will take more than just the Avatar to restore peace and bring back balance to the world.
1. Chapter 1: Second Chances

**AVATAR: A NEW ERA**

Based on the universe of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and _The Legend of Korra _created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER

All characters and events from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and _The Legend of Korra _are not mine and they belong to Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. However, all original characters and events in this story are mine but are not to be considered canon.

Prologue

Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

Things haven't been easy these last two years. After I defeated Kuvira and the spirit portal was opened in Republic City, the world order has begun to collapse. With President Raiko, now resigned, the different parties of the Earth Republic fighting over power, and Fire Lord Izumi falling critically ill from some unknown condition, which many believe to be the result of an attempt on her life by the Water Tribes, international tensions are only increasing. One person may not be enough to restore balance this time. It will take a special team to restore peace and balance to a crumbling world. A new era is at hand.

CHAPTER 1: Second Chances

Kuvira had been in prison for two years. After apologizing for all the horrible things she had done, Kuvira willingly turned herself in. However, being imprisoned was nothing compared to the guilt and sorrow she felt because of what she had done. Disappointing her adopted mother, Suyin Beifong, and inadvertently tearing her family apart felt even worse than when her biological parents abandoned her. Once again, she felt the overwhelming pain of aloneness. As she sat on her bed in the darkness of her platinum cell, all she could think about was what Su must think of her. She closed her eyes and a single tear ran down her cheek.

"How could I be so selfish?" she whispered. She had probably asked herself that question a thousand times.

Kuvira heard someone moving around outside of her cell and looked up. She heard keys jangling outside and then slid into the lock of her cell door. She was confused. It wasn't a guard checking on her because they had just come by ten minutes ago, and it wasn't food or water being delivered because breakfast was only three hours ago. This was a visitor. But who?

The door opened and there was a figure standing in the doorway. The sudden rush of light into the cell made it impossible to tell who it was.

A guard walked in from around the corner.

"It's your lucky day Kuvira," he said, "someone ordered your release."

Kuvira stood up and looked at the guard puzzled.

"Who is that?" she asked pointing at the silhouette in the doorway.

"This man is An'rak," the guard replied, "he has been sent to bring you to Republic City."

"Why?"

"He didn't say. But his orders were from Suyin Beifong."

Kuvira felt a rush of mixed emotions hit her when she heard the news. The last time she had seen Su was when Su gave her to the police. And now for whatever reason, Su had sent for her. Why? Obviously something big must be happening or else Su wouldn't risk releasing someone who had almost destroyed the United Republic and her own fiancé.

Kuvira walked up to An'rak. Judging by the colors and style of his clothing he was clearly from a wealthy fire-nation family.

"Alright, let's go," she said.

Kuvira and An'rak made their way to the checkout desk. An'rak signed the form for releasing Kuvira and the man behind the desk went into the back room to grab Kuvira's things. After he handed Kuvira her clothes and personal belongings, she went into the restroom to change. She slipped out of her prison clothes, put on her Metal Clan military pants, and slid her boots onto her feet. She walked over to the sink and splashed some cold water onto her face. She grabbed a towel, dried off and then looked in the mirror.

_'__Time for a new start,' _she thought to herself.

She looked down and saw a pair of scissors lying on the sink. She picked them up and removed their cover. After looking at them for a brief moment, she grabbed her hair and cut it just below the shoulders. She threw the hair into the trash can, slipped on a green long-sleeve shirt over her white sleeveless shirt and walked out the door.

"Ready?" An'rak asked.

Kuvira nodded.

"Alright, next stop, the town of Sai Shao."

An'rak and Kuvira walked out the door. Kuvira felt a comforting breeze. It was the first time in two years that she had felt the wind against her, the first time in two years that she had felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She closed her eyes and smiled.

_'__Time for a new start.'_

Kuvira and An'rak were walking along the dusty path on the way to their first stop. Kuvira looked over at An'rak. He stood up straight with his shoulders back, chest out and his chin held high, and he walked with long, confident strides, he was obviously military.

"So why did Su send you to come get me?"

"She didn't say," An'rak replied, "but something tells me it's really important."

"I thought she hated me," Kuvira said "after all I had done to her and her family. How can anyone forgive me for what I've done? And now I'm being called to Republic City, a place I almost decimated."

"Oh don't worry, a lot has changed over the last two years."

"What do you mean?" Kuvira asked.

"Well for starters, President Raiko has resigned."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he didn't think he was fit to be president. I guess he just didn't feel like he accomplished anything. So he called the press to city hall and made the announcement. Then out of nowhere, Korra and Suyin stepped up and spoke on your behalf. They talked about your childhood, how your parents abandoned you at a young age and how Su took you in. How you were like a daughter to her and that you quickly rose through the ranks to become a captain of Zaofu's military, and how you thought what you were doing was righteous. A few people questioned your motives. Then Korra explained how you thought everyone was turning their back on the Earth Kingdom and how you felt it was your duty to step up and bring order, since she was gone. You also felt the world was abandoning the Earth Kingdom, just as your parents abandoned you. Granted, there were still a few skeptics, but for the most part a lot of the people understood your reasoning and learned to forgive you, even Suyin."

Kuvira was touched by these words. All this time she had thought Su would never forgive her.

"Did she really say those things about me?"

"She did. As you know, Su is a family person, and she considers you family."

"Why didn't she ever visit me then?"

"She was busy helping with reconstruction in Republic City and getting Zaofu back on its feet. She even took your advice and decided it was time for the metal clan to share its technology. As I said, a lot has changed these last two years."

Kuvira looked down at the ground.

"I'm just glad to be out of that cell."

An'rak patted Kuvira on the shoulder.

"I know what you mean," he said.

"You've been in prison before too?" Kuvira asked.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a prison," An'rak looked at Kuvira, "it was more of a 'reeducation camp'."

Kuvira looked away.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Ah, don't be. You were just trying to help your nation."

"But it was a horrible thing to do!" Kuvira exclaimed, "All of the families I tore apart because of my paranoia, all of the innocent people whose lives I stole."

"But think about all of the good you did," An'rak said in a comforting tone, "look, you got rid of the caste system, you united the states, you brought the Earth Kingdom into a new age of progress. The new government even adopted some of your ideals. Because of you, the former Prince Wu, dissolved the monarchy and reestablished the nation as the Earth Republic."

"You saw how terrible things were in those camps!" Kuvira exclaimed, "You saw what happened to people who resisted. How can you even speak to someone like me who was the reason you had to go through that?"

"Well, my father taught me to look for the best in people. So, while what you did was wrong, your heart was always in the right place and I forgive you. You had a noble cause and I have the highest respect for your pride and patriotism."

Kuvira felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away as discreetly as possible.

"Thank you," she said.

They continued walking down the dirt road when An'rak saw a sign that said 'Sai Shao: 2 miles'.

"Hey, only two more miles to go!" An'rak said cheerfully, "I don't know about you but I'm starving! I know of a great place to get something to eat called _Uncle Iroh's Café and Tea Shop_. What do you say we grab a bite to eat? I'm buying."

Kuvira Smiled.

"Sounds good."

When An'rak and Kuvira arrived in Sai Shao they immediately stopped by _Uncle Iroh's_. They walked inside and took a seat at one of the tables.

"Well," An'rak said, "I'm gonna go get us some tea. What do you want?"

"Jasmine is fine."

"Alright, be right back."

As An'rak got in line at the counter, Kuvira noticed someone out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw Bataar Jr., her former fiancé, sitting at a table reading the paper. He looked up and Kuvira tried to hide her face but Bataar saw her and walked over to her.

"Well, well, if it isn't the 'Great Uniter'," he said.

He took a sip of his tea and set the ceramic cup on the table.

"Shouldn't you be in prison?" he continued, "Or did you manipulate one of the guards into letting you go before getting rid of him too?"

"Look Bataar," Kuvira said, "The reason I did what I did was because I didn't want you to be used as leverage. The Avatar broke our agreement with President Raiko and I thought that my actions were just. But now-"

"Just?" Bataar interjected, "you think firing that weapon at me, your fiancé, was just?"

"Hey! I admit it wasn't right and it's been haunting me every hour of every day for the last two years! I'm sorry, okay? I made a vow never to let my personal feelings drive me to extremes again."

"I know how well you keep vows, Kuvira. Like when you vowed to marry me and-"

"Hey, Kuvira!" An'rak interrupted, "Here's your tea."

An'rak looked at Bataar, who was glaring at him. An'rak turned to Kuvira.

"Who's your friend?"

"An'rak, this is Bataar Jr., my ex fiancé."

"Oh Bataar! Kuvira's told me so much about you."

"Has she now?"

"Oh yeah, she talks about you all the time. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

As he said this, he made a motion to shake hands with Bataar and accidentally spilled Bataar's tea all over him.

"Hey! Watch it, buddy!" Bataar yelled angrily.

"I am so sorry," An'rak said apologetically, "here, you can have mine."

He picked up the cup of tea and handed it to Bataar. Bataar snatched it and took a sip. The tea was scalding hot and Bataar coughed it out and dropped the cup onto the floor. It shattered sending tea and broken pieces everywhere.

"Hey, you!" yelled the man behind the counter at Bataar, "You better pay for that cup you just broke."

"Oh yeah? What if I don't?"

"Then I'm afraid you're gonna have to leave."

"Who's gonna make me? You?" Bataar sneered, "I'm two feet taller than you!"

Bataar felt a tap on his shoulder and when he turned around he saw a mass of muscle right behind him. He looked up and saw a towering figure looking down at him.

"No," the man said, "I am."

Bataar sighed.

The giant picked up Bataar by the front of his shirt, walked him over to the door and threw him into a cabbage cart, which exploded upon impact. The man selling cabbages grabbed his head and looked down at his destroyed cart in terror.

"No! My cabbages!" he cried out in sheer devastation.

The muscular figure brushed his hands and walked back inside. Kuvira was smiling at An'rak with amusement.

"What?" An'rak asked.

"Thanks," Kuvira said.

"For what?"

"Their tea is hot," she replied, "but it's not _that _hot."

An'rak smiled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right," Kuvira said sarcastically.

After finishing their tea, An'rak and Kuvira ordered some South Pole style noodles for lunch before continuing their journey east to Republic City. A few miles later, An'rak noticed a bright blue, glowing orb on the ground by the side of the road.

"What in Raava's name is that?" An'rak exclaimed running over to the object.

"I don't know," Kuvira said, "I've never seen anything like it."

An'rak examined the object for a moment and then picked it up. Suddenly, An'rak felt a large amount of stinging pain all over as the object illuminated and sent a shock through his body. An'rak yelled out in pain and collapsed onto his back. The object exploded into a cloud of dust and dissipated.

"An'rak!" Kuvira yelled running over to him.

She put her arm around him and helped him up.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

An'rak cringed as he got back on his feet.

"Yeah," he grunted, "that really hurt."

An'rak moved his hand up to his forehead and a slab of rock erected from the ground. An'rak slowly moved his hand away from his face as he stared at the slab in shock.

Kuvira couldn't believe her eyes.

"Did you…did you just Earthbend?" she said extremely confused.

An'rak turned around and looked at Kuvira with a puzzled look.

"H-how," he stammered, "how is that even possible?"

-To Be Continued-


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival

**AVATAR: A NEW ERA**

Based on the universe of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and _The Legend of Korra _created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER

All characters and events from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and _The Legend of Korra _are not mine and they belong to Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. However, all original characters and events in this story are mine but are not to be considered canon.

CHAPTER 2: Arrival

An'rak and Kuvira had been on their journey to Republic City for two days. They were only a few miles away when the sun started to set and night came upon them.

"Well," An'rak said, "Time to look for a place to set up camp."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Kuvira replied, "We're in the mountains."

An'rak saw a small opening in the side of a slope a few meters ahead.

"Found one," he said.

He started to walk toward it.

"Uh, An'rak?"

An'rak turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Kuvira faced one of the slopes, got into a wide stance and pushed her arms forward at it. There was a rumbling sound as the wall was plowed inward and formed a cave. An'rak's eyes widened. The hole was big enough to fit four sky bison inside. Kuvira looked at An'rak with a smirk.

An'rak pointed at Kuvira and then the hole.

"Right," he said, "Earthbending."

As Kuvira laid their blankets in the cave, An'rak went out to grab some wood for a fire. When he had enough, he lit it with some firebending and went out to grab some more wood. After a few trips back and forth, he went out to find something for them to eat. A while later he brought back some nuts and berries.

"Sorry, I know it's not much, but I couldn't find any meat."

"This is fine," Kuvira said.

An'rak sat down on his makeshift bed.

"So," he said, "how old are you?"

"Why?" Kuvira asked.

"Oh, I was just curious."

An'rak started to take a drink from his canteen.

"Twenty-five," Kuvira said.

An'rak almost choked on his water. He swallowed it, coughed, and wiped his mouth.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, surprised by her youth.

"Nope."

"So you mean to tell me you were the supreme commander of an entire army and then the ruler of an entire country, all at the age of twenty-three?"

"That's right."

"Geez! I'm twenty-six and only a Sergeant. You must have ridiculous leadership skills and strategic expertise."

Kuvira shrugged.

"Maybe that's why Su sent you to come get me," she said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason," An'rak replied, "but if she's gone so far as to send for you, I'm afraid of how bad things might be."

"Don't worry, I've dealt with terrorism before. Sure, it's a serious matter that must be handled carefully, but there's always a way."

"I believe it. I've been sent to deal with similar problems myself."

"What'd you say you did for the Fire Nation Army again?" Kuvira asked.

"I didn't," An'rak replied.

An'rak noticed that the fire was starting to go down.

"I'm gonna put some more fuel on the fire," he said getting up.

"How does Republic City look now?" Kuvira asked him.

"Not nearly as bad as it did two years ago. Since most of the original city is now covered in vines, the populace decided to expand the city's borders. They filled some of the bay to help and had a bunch of earthbenders clear out some of the smaller hills and mountains. The Colossus and other broken machinery have been recycled so they could be used as materials for reconstruction and expansion. They still haven't finished up quite yet but they've made a lot of progress."

"Well, at least some good came from that awful machine. I never should've built it."

"That's in the past, Kuvira. You have to learn to let it go. You'll never be able to move on until you do."

Kuvira sighed.

"You're right."

"Excuse me?" An'rak exclaimed.

"I said 'you're right'."

"No, no. I heard that," An'rak said chuckling, "I've just never heard that from a woman before."

Kuvira laughed.

"Well, we are pretty stubborn," she said.

"True. But it's not too bad compared to other things," An'rak said, "I used to date a combustion bender."

"How'd that turn out?"

"Let's just say you never want to be on their bad-side."

They both laughed again.

"What did you do?" Kuvira asked.

An'rak put one more log on the fire and sat back down.

"I decided to join the Fire Nation military and she didn't like that too much. She thought I was abandoning her, so she left me. The next day she blew up my Satomobile."

"That's unfortunate."

"Well, I hadn't been home much because of my job so it would just sit around and collect dust for months at a time. It's really inconvenient, especially when you want to start a life. Fortunately, we get a few months of leave every so often."

"Well that's good," Kuvira said, "At least you get some time to relax."

An'rak smiled.

"Well last time I decided to spend my leave in the Earth Kingdom, and that was right about the same time you took power."

"I am really sorry for that," Kuvira said remorsefully.

"Hey, it's alright. In fact I should thank you. Because of the time I spent in captivity, I was given extended leave."

"How are so optimistic?" Kuvira asked in wonder.

"Someone has to be. Especially when you're in charge of a group of people. Fear is a virus. If people see it then they become afraid too. We all feel fear but the key is to accept it so it doesn't interfere with the job at hand. If you doubt yourself even for one second, your chances of making a mistake increase dramatically."

An'rak paused and looked out into the night.

"And I know that all too well."

Kuvira was caught off guard. She had no idea that this man felt any guilt or doubt. She'd only known him for a few days but he seemed like the kind of person who was never depressed or had any remorse. It was at this moment Kuvira realized that An'rak was also tormented by guilt, and that he kept his true feelings bottled up as much as he could. An'rak looked back at Kuvira.

"We should get some sleep," he said, "We've still got quite a ways to go before we reach the city."

The two of them laid down, moved their packs to use as pillows, and pulled their blankets on top of themselves.

_An'rak's body ached and his ears were ringing. He could make out shapes but other than that everything was blurry. As he lay on his back he could see things burning all around him. His vision would come back for a moment but then become blurry again. He looked to his left and saw someone lying on their side. His vision cleared up and he could see the face of his second in command, Tila. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils were dilated. His vision started to blur out again. He reached out to her._

_ "__Tila," he said._

_He could barely speak. His voice was almost a whisper._

_ "__Tila," he said again._

An'rak jerked awake and sat up, he was breathing heavily. Ever since the day he lost his friends, he had been tormented by frequent nightmares of their death. When his breath caught up with him he started looking around. It was morning. He looked over to see if Kuvira was awake yet. Her bed was empty.

"Kuvira?" he called.

There was no answer.

"Kuvira?" he called again.

Kuvira walked in.

"Good morning," she said, "I was just outside enjoying the fresh air. I was going to wake you up but you looked like you were having a pretty crazy dream so I left you alone."

An'rak got up and stretched.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna start packing up our stuff."

"Sounds good," Kuvira said, "I'm gonna go get us some more water, toss me your canteen."

An'rak grabbed his canteen and looked at Kuvira. Kuvira sighed.

"Don't worry I'm not gonna run off. Where would I even go?"

"Good point," An'rak said as he tossed the canteen to her.

"Be back in a few minutes," she said as she walked out the cave entrance.

An'rak watched as she left and smiled. She definitely had a figure that many would find appealing. She was athletically built and walked with a lot of pride, confidence and discipline. An'rak realized what was going on.

_'__Wait, no! What are you doing, An'rak?' _he thought to himself.

An'rak quickly pushed those thoughts away and continued working. A few minutes later, he had finished packing everything up and Kuvira came back with the water.

"One more stop before we reach Republic City," An'rak said.

"Finally, said Kuvira, "Listening to you talk all the time was getting on my nerves."

"You think I talk too much?"

"Oh yeah. And most of the time you have nothing to say."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when the only social interaction you have for two days is with the same person."

"I guess."

After a few miles, Kuvira and An'rak arrived in the next town. There were streets filled with merchants and there were markets all over the place.

"There's an armorer near here," An'rak said, "Do you want to stop by and check it out?"

"You're gonna take me to an armorer?" Kuvira questioned.

"Yeah. He doesn't sell any weapons or objects made from metal so that's not really an issue. Besides, if you really wanted to hurt me you could've done so already multiple times. You could've up and decided you wanted to impale me with the very ground I was walking on."

"Alright, let's go check it out then."

An'rak led Kuvira to the armorer's shop in the downtown merchant center. Kuvira looked around and saw various types of armor and clothing. The merchant looked like he was in his mid-fifties and he was well-built for his age. An'rak shook hands with the merchant.

"Lee," he said, "It's been too long. How've you been?"

"Well my business has picked up a lot since the last time you were here. Because of all the new trade routes, I've gotten a lot of vendors across the UR and the Earth Republic. So business is good."

"That's great! Well listen, me and my friend here are looking for some good deals on armor and stuff. What do you got in stock?"

"Well, look no further," Lee said pulling out a small box from under the table, "These beauties just came in yesterday."

Lee opened the box and pulled out a pair of leather gauntlets. They had a thick, gray leather back layer, a thin, dark red leather middle layer, and a slightly thicker, black leather outer layer.

"These were handcrafted from the finest leather in the United Republic. They're durable, lightweight and breathable."

"How much?" asked An'rak.

"For you, one hundred fifty Yuan."

An'rak handed him the money.

"Thank you," Lee said as he handed An'rak the gauntlets, "Now over here we got a really nice, sleeveless overcoat."

Lee took the black overcoat off the rack and handed it to An'rak. An'rak handed it to Kuvira.

"Here," he said, "How does it fit?"

Kuvira tried on the overcoat. It had two flaps that overlapped on the chest and were fastened by buttons down the right side of her torso. It had a belt around the waist that had two small pockets on it and it had tails that stretched down to the backs of her knees.

"It works," Kuvira said.

"Thirty Yuan," Lee said.

An'rak handed him the money.

"Now because you're such a great customer," Lee said, "I'll throw in this extra pair of black gauntlets and nice leather belt. It comes with pouches for tools or whatever you can fit in them."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," An'rak said.

"No, no. I won't have them," Lee said.

"Alright," An'rak said taking the items off the table.

He handed Kuvira the black gauntlets and put his new leather belt and layered, leather gauntlets on.

"You know, you really didn't have to do that," An'rak said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Think of it as a thank you gift for helping fund my business when it began."

"Thanks, Lee," An'rak said shaking Lee's hand again.

"No, thank you."

An'rak and Kuvira left the market.

"You know I've been meaning to ask you," Kuvira said, "How is it you know all of these people?"

"Well, as Lee mentioned, my family helped fund his business when he first started. He used to live near the house I grew up in. Then after he became a merchant for one of the largest global trade companies, he moved to the UR."

"What about all of these restaurants and diners you know so much about?"

An'rak smiled.

"My job takes me a lot of places remember?"

"Seriously, what do you do?"

"If I could tell you I would," An'rak said, "Now, how about some lunch before we continue?"

Kuvira rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why An'rak always had to change the subject when it came to certain matters or when food was involved.

"Sounds fine."

"There's a vendor down the street a bit who makes the best seafood you'll ever eat."

"I don't know," Kuvira said, "Suyin has a personal chef back at Zaofu who used to be a pirate, now he's a culinary genius."

"Okay," An'rak said, "The second best seafood you'll ever eat."

An'rak and Kuvira walked down the street to _Chun's Seafood On-The-Go_. It was a pretty cheap looking vendor stand, like all the others, but it had a rather pleasant aroma of various spices. It had a burner in the back with some pots of boiling water, a grill, a few coolers of fish and other aquatic creatures, a butchering table, and some fish meat strung up from the ceiling.

"What can I do for the two of you?" the vendor asked.

"I'll have a Fire Nation style lobster stir-fry," An'rak said.

"And I'll take a glazed salmon with sake and soy sauce," Kuvira added.

The vendor made their meals, put them on disposable plates and handed them to An'rak and Kuvira.

"Thanks!" An'rak said handing the vendor some Yuan.

An'rak and Kuvira went and sat down on some benches by the road. As he was eating, An'rak noticed a beetle land on his arm. He shook it off his sleeve and stomped on it. As his foot made contact with the ground, a rock about five inches wide exploded out of the ground and flew twelve feet in the air before falling back down. An'rak stared in bewilderment at the spot where the rock came up. He looked at his foot and then back at the location where the rock appeared. Kuvira was also looking at it but she had a face of both amusement and discomfort. She looked at An'rak.

"You know, I'm starting to worry about your…condition," she said, "This is the fourth time you've inadvertently earthbent and you have absolutely no control over it."

"I know," An'rak replied, "It's starting to bug me too. Ever since I came in contact with that orb I-"

An'rak paused as a new thought suddenly entered his head.

"Hey, what if that orb was some form of spiritual energy?" he asked.

"You mean like the kind that appeared after harmonic convergence?" Kuvira asked.

"Yeah, exactly. What if it was just a mass of spirit energy that had accumulated over time?"

"I mean I guess it's possible," Kuvira said, "But it's been years since that happened, and the orb was in a pretty visible spot. How did nobody see it?"

An'rak rubbed his jaw as he thought of a possible reason.

"I think I got it," he said, "spirits can come and go whenever they want, right?"

"Yeah,"

"So what if the reason nobody ever saw it was because it wasn't always in that particular spot?"

"That makes sense," Kuvira said.

"We need to talk to Korra as soon as we get to Republic City," An'rak said.

An'rak and Kuvira finished their lunch, threw away their trash and continued their journey. After a few more miles, the two of them finally reached the city. Kuvira looked around at all the buildings and complex roadways that wove around the spirit vines.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, "You weren't kidding."

"Yeah!" An'rak said with a chuckle, "that's one of the few times in my life where I've been one hundred percent serious."

Kuvira laughed.

"So, when and where are we supposed to meet with Suyin?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," An'rak replied.

"What are we going to do until then?"

"I don't know. I really want to find Korra so I can find out what's going on with me."

"I'm willing to bet she's on Air Temple Island," Kuvira said.

"Yeah, let's check there."

An'rak faced the street and raised his right hand in the air.

"What are you doing?" Kuvira asked.

"The city has this awesome new transportation system called a taxi service. If you need a ride, you just call over a taxi. Then you get in the car, tell the driver where to go, and then pay him when you get there. It's really great."

"Interesting."

A taxi pulled up by An'rak and Kuvira. An'rak opened the door.

"After you," An'rak said waving Kuvira to get in.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Take us to the harbor near Air Temple Island," An'rak said.

"You got it," the driver said.

After they arrived at the drop off point, An'rak paid the driver and waved goodbye as he drove off. Then An'rak and Kuvira walked down the dock toward the ferry to Air Temple Island.

"Now," An'rak said as they boarded the ferry, "they don't know that we're stopping by so we may not be welcome for long."

"Gotcha."

When they got to the island, An'rak and Kuvira walked up the steps to the main courtyard. Jinora, Meelo, Ikki, Kai and Rohan were there. Jinora was sitting on a bench reading a book, Kai was playing with Rohan, and Meelo was busy annoying Ikki.

An'rak walked up to the main building and knocked on the door. A few seconds later Tenzin opened the door to see who was visiting.

"Oh! An'rak," he said, "It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Tenzin," An'rak said shaking Tenzin's hand.

Tenzin noticed Kuvira standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ah! Kuvira, uh…it's been so long."

Kuvira nodded timidly.

"Well come on in!" Tenzin said, "We weren't expecting any company today."

Tenzin walked over to a counter that had some small glasses and a bottle of sake. Tenzin opened the bottle.

"Sake?" he asked An'rak.

"Sure," An'rak said.

"You?" Tenzin asked Kuvira.

Kuvira shook her head no. Tenzin poured the sake into two of the small glasses and put the cork back in the bottle.

"Here you are," he said handing a glass to An'rak.

"Thanks."

"Please, have a seat," Tenzin said.

The three of them sat down at the table.

"So, what brings you here?" Tenzin asked.

"We were actually looking for Korra," An'rak said, "Is she around?"

"No, she left a few hours ago to take care of a few things. She won't be back until tomorrow morning."

Tenzin took a sip of his drink.

"The two of you are welcome to stay the night," he said.

"Oh, no," An'rak said, "We don't want to intrude."

"It's not a problem. I'd be happy to let you stay here."

"No, really. We can go find a hotel or something in town."

"Nonsense," Tenzin said, "you came all this way, the least I can do is show you the hospitality."

An'rak sighed.

"Fine, we'll stay for one night."

"We've only got one room though," Tenzin said, "So the two of you will have to share."

"Oh, that won't be a problem," An'rak said, "I've slept with women plenty of times before."

An'rak immediately realized what he had just said. Tenzin's eyes widened and Kuvira was looking at An'rak with a disgusted look.

"Wait," An'rak said, "I didn't mean…That's not…that sounded way different in my head."

Tenzin stood up.

"Well on that note, I'm gonna show you to your room."

Tenzin showed them where they'd be sleeping.

"Feel free to have a look around and let me know if you need anything. Dinner will be in about an hour."

"Thanks!" An'rak said.

"You are quite welcome!" Tenzin said.

Tenzin turned around and walked back to the main building.

An'rak turned and noticed that Kuvira was looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

"What?" An'rak asked.

"How many?" Kuvira asked.

"How many what?"

Kuvira smirked.

"Oh, shut up!" An'rak said.

The two of them laughed as they began unpacking their things.

Two days earlier:

It was only a few minutes past midnight. Crickets were chirping. The full moon illuminated the trees that surrounded a small, concrete structure in the middle of the woods.

Inside, a man wearing a lab coat and goggles finished piecing together the final components of an explosive device. Two men walked in. The scientist turned around to see his boss, Taku, and his second in command officer.

"Is it ready?" Taku asked.

"Uh, yes sir," the scientist said, "It is."

"Good. You're service is appreciated. You will be part of the single greatest achievement mankind has ever accomplished."

Taku stretched his hand outward. The scientist suddenly felt an enormous amount of pain. His body started jerking and he had no control. He yelled in pain and fear as he realized what was happening to him.

"Why?" he said grunting.

"You were a great help to me," Taku said, "but unfortunately, I cannot afford to have any loose ends."

Taku half-smiled.

"Nothing personal."

Taku quickly made a fist. There was a loud cracking noise as the scientists body suddenly jerked into a position that would normally be impossible, even for the most flexible of contortionists. Taku opened his hand and what was left of the scientist crumpled to the ground like a deformed ragdoll. Taku turned to his second in command.

"Time to send a little gift to Republic City," he said.

-To Be Continued-


	3. Chapter 3: The Raven

CHAPTER 3: The Raven

_An'rak was nervous. His team leader was on leave, which advanced him in his stead. It was his first time commanding an operation and he couldn't help wondering if he'd get everyone home safely. He was getting ready for the operation in his quarters on a Fire Nation transport vessel. He had on dark gray pants, a black, long-sleeve shirt that was tucked in, black, knee-high leather boots with three straps that were buckled, and a dark red, short-sleeve overcoat with tails down to the backs of his knees and fastened down the right side of the torso. He heard someone come in behind him._

_ "__You okay, An'rak?"_

_An'rak turned to see Tila standing behind him._

_ "__Yeah, Why?"_

_ "__Well," Tila said, "You've never been in charge of an entire team before. I was just checking on how you were doing."_

_ "__I'm fine," An'rak said, "Just nervous."_

_ "__Well, it's just a snatch-and-grab operation," Tila said, "Don't worry about it too much. We'll be in and out before you know it."_

_Tila smirked._

_"__You're pretty good with that sort of thing," she continued, "If you take my meaning."_

_ "__Was that really necessary?" An'rak asked._

_ "__Oh, come on. I'm just teasing."_

_Tila walked up to An'rak and ran her hand through his dark hair. It was about an inch long and the hair on the top of his head naturally grew from the left to the right. An'rak also had well-groomed five o'clock shadow._

_ "__Why do you always cut your hair so short?" Tila asked._

_ "__If worse comes to worse and I have to fight hand to hand, it's one less thing my enemy can grab onto."_

_ "__But still, it doesn't need to be that short. I only cut mine to the base of my neck."_

_ "__Well, I like it the way it is," An'rak said._

_ "__Whatever."_

_Tila leaned in and kissed An'rak on the cheek._

_ "__At least your beard isn't too long," she said._

_ "__Glad you found something to appreciate," An'rak said jokingly._

_Tila laughed._

_"__Yeah. Well we better head out to the landing boat," Tila said._

_ "__Yeah. You go on ahead, I'll be right there."_

_Tila turned and went out the door._

_"__Yeah!" he heard her yell in the hallway, "Time to kick some ass! Woo!"_

_An'rak laughed and shook his head. She was an amazing woman. Suddenly, he remembered that her life was in his hands. An'rak looked in the mirror. _

_ '__Stay calm. Everything will be fine. Just get everyone back okay,' he thought to himself._

_He fastened his black leather belt with pouches around his waist. He picked up his black leather chest armor off his bed and put it on before sliding his arms into his dark-red leather gauntlets._

_An'rak took a deep breath and walked out the door._

An'rak woke up. It was still dark out. He sat up and looked around. Kuvira was fast asleep. It was her first time sleeping in an actual bed in two years, why wouldn't she be sleeping so well? An'rak noticed that his shirt was wet. He must've been sweating because of the dream he had. He took his shirt off and hung it over the back of a chair. He rubbed his eyes and walked outside. It was cool out, but he didn't mind. It wasn't nearly as cold as the South Pole. He walked out to the porch overlooking the bay and put his arms on the rail. The stars and city lights illuminated the water. He could hear the Satomobiles driving on the busy streets off in the distance, mixed with the chirping of crickets in the bushes aligning the temple walls.

He heard soft footsteps behind him.

"Trouble sleeping?" a woman behind him said.

An'rak turned his head and saw Korra standing there. He looked back out over the bay.

"I thought you weren't getting back until tomorrow morning," he said.

"I got back early," Korra said.

Korra walked up next to An'rak and put her arms on the railing.

"It's a beautiful night," she said.

An'rak nodded.

"When I was still paralyzed, I was having a lot of nightmares and could barely get any sleep. Whenever I had a bad dream I'd come out here and look out over the water. I'd listen to the Satomobiles off in the distance, the sound of the water beneath me, and the crickets chirping in the gardens. I'd close my eyes and just listen as I felt the gentle night breeze. And even if it was only for a moment, it was nice to forget about what I was going through, to clear my mind and relax. It was so peaceful."

An'rak looked at Korra.

"It is a beautiful night," he said standing up straight.

Korra smiled, but her smile faded when she saw his body. All over the front of his torso, An'rak had multiple tiny scars that looked like the result of shrapnel from an explosion.

"Whoa," Korra exclaimed.

Korra reached out and ran her fingertips along one of the scars on his chest. An'rak grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," An'rak interrupted, "They're just scars."

Korra could tell he wasn't serious though. These were more than just scars to him.

She looked at his face. He also had a thin, diagonal scar under his left eye that was about two inches long, and another horizontal scar just above his right eyebrow.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing," An'rak said.

He turned around and started to walk away.

"Please," Korra said, "I can help."

An'rak stopped. He sighed and turned around.

"People depended on me to make a decision. I made a mistake. They died. I lived. That's all there is to it."

An'rak turned around and went back to his room. Korra started after him, but after only one step, she stopped. She didn't know what else she could do. She looked up at the sky for a moment before heading to her room. An'rak slid open the door to his room and got back into bed. For several minutes, he laid there staring at the ceiling. He rolled over and reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out a necklace. It was a silver chain that had a pendant of a raven's head. He clenched the pendant in his hand and closed his eyes.

_An'rak and Tila were sitting on a bench in the park watching the turtle-ducks swim in the pond a few feet away._

_ "__I have a gift for you," An'rak said._

_ "__What kind of gift?" Tila asked._

_ "__Close your eyes."_

_Tila closed her eyes and An'rak put a silver-chain necklace with a raven's head pendant on it around her neck. Tila opened her eyes and looked at it._

_ "__It's amazing," she said._

_ "__It's a raven," An'rak replied, "It's the symbol of my family."_

_Tila put her arms around An'rak and kissed him._

An'rak opened his eyes. He felt something warm on the palm of his hand. He opened his hand and saw a small drop of blood. He hadn't even noticed that he had been clutching the raven pendant so tight that its beak had poked through the skin. He wiped the blood off the beak and grabbed a handkerchief out of one of his pouches. He pressed it on the wound to stop the bleeding. As he waited, he looked over at Kuvira who was still sound asleep.

_'__She looks so…peaceful,' _he thought.

After the wound had clotted he put the handkerchief and necklace back into the pocket. He opened his bandage pouch and took out a small gauze pad and long strip of cloth. He put the gauze over the wound, wrapped the cloth around his hand and went back to sleep.

Kuvira could hear birds chirping in the trees outside and the morning traffic off in the distance. She knew it was morning but she didn't want to wake up just yet. It was her first time sleeping in a good bed in years. But, she knew it was going to be a busy day so she didn't have much of a choice. She sat up, yawned and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them, she was shocked to see a stone pillar about two feet in diameter protruding through the floorboards, into the ceiling, and out the roof.

"Holy mother of-!" she cried out.

Her reaction woke up An'rak. He immediately sat up and ignited a flame dagger in both hands.

"What is it?" he exclaimed, "What's -"

An'rak saw the pillar in the middle of the room.

"What the flameo is that?" he yelled, freaking out.

Kuvira knew exactly what was going on. She didn't want to believe it, but there was no denying it. Not only was An'rak unable to control his ability to earthbend, but it was getting more severe as well. She looked him in the eye with both fear and concern.

"Oh no," An'rak said, "I'm earthbending in my sleep now?"

"It appears that way."

"I can't take this! What if next time I don't wake up because I accidentally skewered myself through the chest with a spike, or worse, you?"

"We've gotta go to talk to Korra," Kuvira said, "Like, right now."

-To Be Continued-


	4. Chapter 4: Alienation

CHAPTER 4: Alienation

Kuvira and An'rak started walking to the main building of the temple. When they made it to the courtyard, An'rak began to lag behind, and as he started to become dizzy and lightheaded, he stumbled forward onto one knee. Kuvira helped him up. She supported his weight by putting his left arm over her shoulders and putting her right arm around his back. He was rather built for a firebender, not by much but he did have more muscle density. Normally, Kuvira wouldn't have a problem carrying someone his size, but he was barely walking on his own and was constantly pulling down on her as he slipped in and out.

"C'mon," she said, "We're almost there."

An'rak looked at her, but he didn't see Kuvira. The person he saw was Tila.

"Tila?" he whispered.

His eyes rolled back and he fell forward. Kuvira barely managed to catch him. She laid him down gently on his back.

"What happened to him?" she heard someone ask.

She looked up and saw Kai standing a few feet away. Kuvira pointed to the door.

"Get the door," she ordered.

Kai didn't move. He was still staring in confusion at An'rak.

"Now!" Kuvira yelled.

Kai snapped out of his trance and ran to the door.

As Kai went to open the door, Kuvira lifted An'rak's unconscious body onto her shoulders. Kai opened the door and Kuvira made her way inside.

"Tenzin?" she called, "Korra?"

Kuvira walked into the adjacent room and laid An'rak down on a long table. Korra walked into the hallway.

"Did someone call for me?" she asked Kai.

"In there," Kai said, pointing at the room.

Korra went in. She saw An'rak on the table and Kuvira feeling his forehead.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know how, but the last few days he's been inadvertently earthbending. We didn't think much of it at the time, but then this morning we saw that he'd accidentally earth-bent a pillar through the middle of our room."

Korra looked at Kuvira confused.

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say he was earthbending?"

"Yeah."

"But, that's impossible. He's a firebender."

"Well somehow he's both, now," Kuvira said, "Except he has absolutely no control over his earthbending. That's why when we saw the pillar we decided to come to you immediately rather than waiting. But, as we were on our way here he passed out and I think he might've been hallucinating."

"What makes you say he was hallucinating?"

"He called me 'Tila'."

Tenzin came into the room.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Korra said, "All I know is somehow An'rak can earthbend but has no control over it."

"We thought it might be some form of spiritual energy," Kuvira said, "A few days ago we saw this glowing orb on the side of the road. An'rak picked it up and it sent a shock through his body then shattered and disappeared. Ever since, he's been earthbending at the most random times."

Korra knelt down next to An'rak and put her hand on his face. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few moments she took her hand away.

"Well," she said, "Whatever it is, it's fighting back. I can't remove it without causing damage or killing him. But I did see something very interesting."

"What's that?" Tenzin asked.

"He has the gene for earthbending. But it's locked because he's a firebender. He must've gotten the trait from a grandparent because neither of his parents are earthbenders either. That also might explain why he has no control over it. Even though he's been earthbending for the last few days, the gene is still locked. Because it's locked, whatever energy is allowing him to earthbend has only been able to access certain parts of his nervous system and not the others. If I can somehow manage to activate the gene, it may unblock the energy and allow it to flow. If it works, not only will he survive, but he could theoretically have total control over both elements as well."

"What are the risks?" Kuvira asked.

"I don't know," Korra replied, "I've never seen anything like this. But if I don't try, the energy will eventually kill him."

Kuvira was silent.

"Well," Tenzin said, "Give it a try, if that's his best option."

"It may take several hours to a few days for him to recover fully," Korra said, "So it looks like the briefing will have to wait."

Tenzin nodded.

"Alright," he said, "However, I still have to meet with Chief Tonraq Nanuk, President Baatar Beifong, the representative from the Fire Nation, and few others at the embassy. I shall be back in a few hours."

Tenzin turned and left. Kuvira looked at Korra.

"President Beifong?" she said confused.

"Yeah, Suyin's husband is the new president of the UR."

"I see. How is Su?"

"She's fine," Korra said, "She's been really busy with reconstruction and expansion along with creating trade routes between Zaofu and the other states, but she's back in Republic City for the time being. You should go meet with her."

"I don't think that's necessary," Kuvira said, "I should probably stay here and help you take care of An'rak."

"Oh, don't worry about it. The Air Acolytes will help me. He's in good hands. Besides, I think it'd be good for you."

Kuvira sighed. She was nervous about meeting Su again and was actually terrified to an extent.

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"Good! She's staying at the United Republic Hotel in the eastside of the city. I'll give you the address. Do you want to call first?"

Kuvira shrugged.

"Sure."

"Well," Korra said, "Turn left and go down the hall, second room on the right there's a phone. The hotel's number is on the wall next to it."

"Thanks."

Korra walked over to a table and picked up a pen and a small, square piece of paper and wrote down the Hotel's address.

"Here you go," she said handing Kuvira the paper.

Korra reached into her money pouch and pulled out some coins.

"And here's some money for the cab. I'll have some acolytes drop you off at the docks."

Kuvira put the address and the coins into her pocket.

"Thanks," she said.

Korra smiled and nodded. Kuvira walked toward the entrance of the room and stopped before looking back at Korra.

"Thanks for coming to visit me every once in a while when I was in prison."

Korra smiled.

"You're welcome."

Kuvira left and Korra called some of the air acolytes to come help her with An'rak.

Kuvira walked into the living room and picked up the phone. She closed her eyes and steeled herself for what might happen.

_ '__I don't know if I can even bear to look her in the eye,'_ she thought, _'__Let alone talk to her. But, I'm gonna have to eventually. Putting it off will only delay the inevitable.'_

Kuvira sighed.

"Let's get this over with," she whispered to herself as she called the hotel.

Kuvira tapped her foot nervously as she waited for the call to go through. After a few rings, she heard a click on the other end.

"United Republic Hotel!" a woman answered, "What can I do for you?"

"Hi," Kuvira replied, "I'd like to forward this call to a friend of mine who's staying there."

"Of course! What's the name of the guest you wish to call?"

"Suyin Beifong."

"Alright, just a minute while I forward your call."

Kuvira's heart pounded in her chest and her fingers were tapping the side of her leg rapidly.

"Hello?" she heard Suyin say on the other end.

Kuvira stopped tapping her fingers.

"Su...it's me."

"Kuvira?"

Suyin sounded shocked.

"Yeah."

"What is it? What do you need?"

"We need to talk. I was hoping I could visit in a few minutes."

"Alright. I don't think I have any plans for today so feel free to stop by...whenever."

Kuvira didn't say anything.

"Kuvira? You there?"

"Yes," Kuvira said after a few moments, "I'm on my way."

"I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Okay. Goodbye."

"See you soon."

Kuvira hung up. She looked down at the ground, her eyes were wide with anxiety. She ran her hand through her hair.

_'__Oh, shit!' _she thought to herself.

Suyin hung up the phone and put her hands on her hips.

"Well...damn," she said to herself.

She sighed, picked up the phone and called the front desk.

"Yes?" answered a woman on the other end.

"Hi," Suyin said nervously, "I'd like a bottle of sake sent up to my room right away."

Kuvira turned around and walked back to the room where Korra was taking care of An'rak. Korra looked up.

"Hey," she said, "The acolytes are waiting for you right outside."

"Yeah," Kuvira mumbled.

Korra noticed the look in Kuvira's eyes.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I need a drink."

Korra laughed.

"That's understandable. You go get ready and I'll pour some sake into a flask for you."

"How big is the flask?"

"Big enough to get you through a visit with the in-laws," Korra said with a smirk.

"Thank you so much," Kuvira said with relief.

"Anytime."

Kuvira went back to her room and put her jacket and boots on, then put her hair in a braid. When she got back Korra was working on waking An'rak up.

"The sake is over there," she said pointing at a table while flashing a light in An'rak's eyes.

Suddenly An'rak gasped and sat up. He turned and threw up on the floor before falling back down.

"Oh Maker help me," he groaned, "What is happening?"

Korra put her hand on his forehead and signaled one of the acolytes to clean up the vomit on the floor.

"There's a large amount of spirit energy in your system, but it's blocked and can't flow naturally. That's why you're getting worse."

"Well get it out!" An'rak exclaimed.

"I tried, but whatever it is, it doesn't want to come out. If I force it it'll either kill you or cause a lot of damage and you'll die shortly after anyway."

An'rak sat up.

"That's bad right?" An'rak said sarcastically, "Leave it in, I die. Take it out, I die. Is there anything you _can_ do?"

"Well I have an idea but I've never tried anything like it before so I don't know if it'll even work."

"What is it?"

"Well," Kuvira interjected, "The reason you're able to earthbend is because you've inherited the gene for it. However, because both of your parents were firebenders, it didn't become prominent. This energy is giving you the ability to earthbend, but because the gene is locked, the energy can't flow."

An'rak raised an eyebrow.

"So your plan is…?"

"I'm going to try and unlock the gene," Korra explained, "If I do it right, I think it may unblock the flow of the energy. From there all I have to do is bend the energy through your nervous system and into your brain to make sure it's flowing correctly."

"And if you do it wrong?"

"You die."

An'rak threw his hand up in the air and chuckled.

"We need to work on your bedside manner," he joked.

Some more acolytes entered the room with supplies from the medical room.

"Hey, if you unlock the gene wouldn't I be able to bend earth as well?"

"Theoretically," Korra said.

She started to laugh.

"…If you survive."

"Okay, now you're just being mean. What are the chances of that anyway?" An'rak asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. I've never done anything like this before. But I'd estimate it around one-in-twenty."

"Let me get this straight. You're gonna bend a mass of spirit energy in my body and screw around with my nervous system and genetic coding without having any idea what you're doing or if it'll even work, and the odds of it working, _if_ you do it correctly, are estimated at one-in-twenty?"

Korra didn't say anything.

"What are we waiting for?" An'rak exclaimed, "Let's do this!"

"I'll have to sedate you so it'll be easier to bend the energy."

"Do what you have t-"

Suddenly An'rak's eyes widened and rolled back and every muscle in his body tensed up. He spun around, fell onto the floor and started convulsing.

"Oh no," Korra exclaimed, darting over to An'rak.

Korra and the acolytes got down and held An'rak as still as they could. Kuvira ran over and knelt down next to An'rak.

"What's happening?" she exclaimed with panic in her voice.

"He's having a seizure," Korra replied.

Korra pointed to the corner of the room.

"Now get out of the way."

Kuvira backed out of the way. Even though she really wanted to, she couldn't look away from what was happening.

"Pema!" Korra called with urgency, "An'rak, you're gonna be fine, okay? Just hold on. Everything's gonna be okay."

Kuvira started biting her teeth together in nervousness.

"Pema!" Korra called again.

A few seconds later, Pema came rushing in and saw An'rak convulsing on the floor while Korra and the acolytes struggled to keep him still.

"What happened?"

Korra looked up.

"Pema, go to the medical area. I need you to bring me the bottle labeled 'Lorazepam'. That should stop the convulsions."

"Right away," Pema said.

Korra looked up at one of the acolytes.

"Get her out of here," she whispered to him.

The acolyte stood up and started to move Kuvira out of the room.

"Get off me!" Kuvira yelled pushing him away.

"Kuvira, go," Korra ordered, "He'll be fine, but right now we need you out of the way."

Kuvira hesitated at first, but after a few moments, she left the room. She walked out into the courtyard and started to make her way across the bridge to the docks. Along the way she feared for An'rak's life. Eventually it was too much for her. She yelled out and slammed her fist into one of the poles holding the roof of the bridge.

_'__Why does this keep happening?'_ she thought to herself, _'__Why do I have to lose everyone I care about?_

Kuvira felt someone a few feet away coming toward her. She spun around to face them. It was one of the acolytes that was told to ferry her to the city.

"Excuse me," he said, "But we've been waiting for some time now and-"

"I'm sorry," Kuvira interrupted, "I just had a few things on my mind. I'm coming."

As Kuvira followed the acolyte to the docks, she looked back at the room where An'rak was being treated with a look of extreme worry. She had only known him for a few days but she already cared strongly about him. Not because she was fond of him, but because he was the first person to look her in the eye and forgive her for what she had done. He was the first person in two years whom she felt a connection to. And now, for all she knew, he could be dead by the time she got back.

When they made it to the docks, Kuvira climbed aboard the ferry and sat down while the acolytes prepared the boat for departure. They then pulled away from the dock and started out for the main port.

Kuvira was sitting on the bench with her forearms resting on her thighs. Her head was slightly bowed and she stared off into space. Thoughts of Suyin, Baatar Jr., and An'rak filled her head. One of the acolytes noticed the empty look in her eye and walked up to her.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Kuvira muttered, still staring at nothing.

"Well, we'll be docking in about five minutes."

"Okay."

The acolyte turned and started to walk back to his post, but he stopped after a few steps and walked back over to Kuvira.

"Oh, and just so you're aware-"

"What?" Kuvira snapped, giving him an irritated look.

"Well, considering your last visit here, don't be too surprised if people aren't the most welcoming."

Kuvira looked back at the deck.

"Yeah, no shit. I'm well aware of that," she snarled, "I'll do my best not to cause any collateral damage this time. Okay?"

The acolyte stood in silence for a moment, then shrugged and went back to his post.

Kuvira closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She focused on the gentle creaking of the boat's wooden hull and the sound of the water splashing against the sides. It was calming. Even if it was for just a moment, taking her mind off of everything was very relaxing.

After a few minutes, Kuvira felt the boat come to a stop. She stood up and walked over to the ramp that ran down to the dock. One of the acolytes was standing right next to the ramp.

"See you around...Great Uniter."

Kuvira patted his shoulder as she walked past him.

"Good one," she said, simply acknowledging his effort to insult her.

Kuvira did not care about his failed attempt to get under her skin. She did not care about much of anything anymore.

After exiting the docks, she walked across the street onto the sidewalk and put her hand out to signal for a taxi.

"It's gonna be a while before a cab shows up," said a man next to her, "It's lunch hour, most of them are out transporting business folk."

Kuvira put her hand down and waited for a cab to appear. Just then, a cab pulled around the corner a few meters down the road and started driving in their direction.

"Looks like it's your lucky day," the man said.

Kuvira signaled for the cab and the driver started to slow down.

"Have a good one," the man said holding out his hand.

Kuvira turned to shake his hand, but the man staggered back when he saw her face.

"Oh!" he exclaimed nervously, "I-uh-I forgot I gotta-um..."

The man wheeled around and walked away quickly.

"Forgiven, not forgotten," Kuvira whispered.

The cab driver pulled up to the curb next to Kuvira and stopped. He was a lean man in his early fifties with a fairly dark complexion. He had short, curly black hair, some stubble around his face, and he wore a white button-up shirt, black pants, and black shoes. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows and he wore a brass band around his right wrist.

"Hello, miss!" he said as Kuvira entered the cab, "Where to?"

Kuvira pulled out the paper with the address, told the driver where to go and handed him the money that Korra gave her.

"Alright," he said, "Let's hit the road!"

Kuvira looked out the window of the cab at all of the buildings still under construction.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" the driver exclaimed, "Is this your first visit?"

"How do you know I don't live here?"

"I may have only been here a week, but I know a UR citizen when I see one."

"Yes," Kuvira lied, "It's my first time. I'm meeting with an old friend."

"Sounds like fun."

"Huh, you know it," Kuvira muttered, taking a sip from her flask.

"Oh," the driver said, noticing the flask, "I take it this friendship is hitting a rough stage."

"I guess you could say that."

Over the next several minutes, the cab was silent except for the swing music playing on the radio at low volume.

"You know," the driver exclaimed, breaking the silence, "this city has a lot of history for being less than a century old."

He pointed at the spirit portal in the distance.

"You see that portal? That just magically appeared out of nowhere one day. People around here say that the city was under attack by a giant robot controlled by some warlord chick named 'Kuvira' from the former Earth Kingdom. They say that the robot fired some kind of spirit energy beam, and at one point, the beam kept firing. Then the Avatar stopped the beam and the energy build-up tore open a new portal."

Kuvira pressed her lips together.

"Really?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah," the driver continued, "But, personally, I think it's a load of crap. I mean, a giant robot? Spirit beam cannons? Give me a break."

"Yeah," Kuvira sighed nervously, "Sounds a bit exaggerated to me. But, I wasn't there so I wouldn't exactly know."

The driver looked at Kuvira in his rear-view mirror.

"You know, you look familiar."

"I-I do?" Kuvira said trying to hide her nervousness.

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Uh...Sun," she replied, saying the first name that came to mind.

"Well, Sun, I don't know what it is but I can't shake the feeling I've seen you before."

"Um..."

"Oh wait! I know why!"

"Huh?" Kuvira exclaimed with slight panic.

"Yeah! you look like my best friend's ex-girlfriend, Chun."

"Oh." Kuvira sighed with relief, "Okay."

"Sorry if I freaked you out."

"No, no. You're fine. So where are you from?"

"I'm from an independent island, a few miles off the coast."

_'__That explains why he doesn't recognize me,' _Kuvira thought to herself.

The driver pulled up to the entrance of the hotel.

"Well," the driver said, "Here we are, Miss."

Kuvira got out of the cab.

"Thanks for the ride!" she said.

"Anytime. See you around! Good luck with your friend!"

The taxi driver waved as he pulled away and drove off.

_'__Here goes nothing,' _Kuvira thought to herself as she took another sip from the flask.

She inadvertently took too big of a sip and she coughed hard as the sake went down.

"Geez," she mumbled, "That's got quite a kick."

She walked up the stairs and through the revolving door into the hotel. The lobby was huge. The ceiling was two stories up and had a massive, glass chandelier hanging from it. There was a fountain in the middle of the room straight ahead, the check-in desk to her right, and the lounge and dining area to her left.

"Can I help you?" the check-in lady asked.

"I'm looking for a friend," Kuvira replied.

"Over here!" someone behind her called.

Kuvira turned around and saw Suyin sitting on a couch waving to her.

"Never mind," Kuvira told the check-in lady.

"Have a good day," The check-in lady said.

Kuvira walked over to the couch and sat down next to Suyin.

"So, how was your journey here?" Suyin asked.

"Um, it was okay, I guess."

"That's good."

There was a brief awkward silence.

"So...How's the family doing?" Kuvira asked.

"Fantastic. My husband was elected as the new President, Opal is moving through the ranks in the Airbender Peacekeepers Unit, Wing and Wei have made power disk an official sport in the Earth Republic, Huan was accepted by a prestigious art university in the UR, and Baatar has finally started to move on."

Kuvira snickered.

"He has," Suyin insisted.

"I didn't say a word," Kuvira said with a smirk.

"Yes, well, let's go to my room so we can talk."

"Alright."

Kuvira and Suyin walked down the hall of the first floor to Suyin's room, located at the end of the hallway and on the right. Su unlocked the door to her hotel room and her and Kuvira walked inside. It was a decent sized room that was clearly intended for guests with higher incomes than most.

_'__Holy shit!' _Kuvira thought to herself, _'__If this is what the rooms on the bottom floor look like, how big and luxurious are the ones on the top floor?'_

Around the corner from the door were a wooden closet, and a small wooden desk with a lamp. In the middle of the room were a green couch and two decorated chairs set up around a glass coffee table. In the back of the room on the left was a small kitchen, on the right was a bathroom, and in the middle was a rather large bed, with a green comforter and pillows, and a nightstand with drawers, a lamp and an alarm clock on the right side.

Suyin sat down in one of the chairs.

"So," Suyin said, "take a seat."

Kuvira stood still as Suyin sat down in a chair.

"Come on, sit down."

Kuvira walked over to a chair across from Suyin and sat down.

"Now, what did you want to talk about?" asked Suyin.

"What's going on?" Kuvira inquired.

"Excuse me? I don't follow."

"You completely erase me from your life, and now, two years later, you order my release."

"I didn't erase you from my life Kuvira."

"Oh yeah?" Kuvira exclaimed in a slightly hostile tone, "Think back to my trial at the world court."

"What about it?"

"You know what! Don't pretend like you have no idea what I'm talking about! The court found me guilty of war crimes and sentenced me to death. But, what did you do when they announced the sentence? Nothing! You just stood up and left without looking back! You left me when I needed you most!"

"Well clearly you weren't executed as planned."

"Only because Korra managed to convince the court to change my sentence. Korra was the only person who stuck by me over the last two years. You disappeared. Where were you?"

"I was helping with reconstruction after all the damage your machine caused."

"Korra found time. If the avatar could find time to be there then so could you. And even if you couldn't, the least you could do was write. You just didn't care!"

Kuvira stood up.

"All of these years you never gave a shit! I spent two years in that dark cell going out of my mind because of all the guilt I felt for what I had done. I felt ashamed for what I did to you and your family. But I felt angry because the one person in my life who felt like family was you, and you abandoned me!"

Kuvira fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands.

"I had never felt more alone in my life," she sobbed, "I felt more alone and afraid than I did when my parents cast me aside. Every minute of every day for two years, all I could think about was how alone I was and it was driving me insane. I may not be in prison anymore but I still feel just as empty and isolated."

Suyin watched in shock. She had never seen so much emotion from Kuvira before. It was difficult and disturbing to watch. Kuvira stood up.

"I would never consider taking my own life, but honestly, if I were to die right now I wouldn't even care. Do you know why? Because I have nothing to lose! Nothing to live for! Everyone I have cared about has eventually cast me away without a second thought."

She bowed her head and wept. Suyin stood up and walked over to Kuvira. She put her hand on Kuvira's shoulder, but Kuvira pushed her hand away.

"I'm sorry," Suyin told Kuvira, "I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. It was just unbearable for me to watch what you were going through. But you're right, I should've been there anyway. You needed me and I turned my back on you."

"You destroyed me!" Kuvira exclaimed, "You-"

Kuvira stopped and her facial expression changed from that of pain to that of confusion. She felt something rumbling underground a few hundred meters away.

"What?" Suyin asked, "What is it?"

"Do you feel that?"

Suddenly there was a loud *doof* and the room started shaking. The windows shattered and objects all over the room fell to the ground.

"What is that?" Suyin yelled in confusion.

The ground was shaking and there was rumbling in the distance mixed with the sound of people screaming in terror.

"That came from the embassy," Kuvira whispered to herself.

-To Be Continued-


End file.
